CURRENCY SHOP OWNER LESTER MOSBACHER

As Lester Mosbacher's friends and family see it, his violent death was the ultimate irony, because in life, he was the gentlest of souls.

Mr. Mosbacher died Tuesday after being shot in the South Side currency exchange he owned. A former resident of Glenwood, and more recently of Orland Park, he was 52.

"He was dependable and he loved his family," said Rabbi Ellen Dreyfus, who presided over his funeral in B'nai Yehuda Beth Sholom in Homewood. "Here's a man who lived without violence--really he was a gentle soul--and the fact that he was brought down by such a senseless crime is just horrendous."

Mr. Mosbacher entered the currency business about 20 years ago, working first in a store his father-in-law had owned, and later acquiring it and other exchanges over the years. At the time of his death, he owned only the Colonial Currency Exchange, 12719 S. Halsted St.

A native of the city's South Side, Mr. Mosbacher was a graduate of South Shore High School, where he met his eventual wife of 31 years, Bonnie, in typing class.

"Mom always said neither of them learned much typing that year," said his son, Joel, now a rabbi in Atlanta.

Mr. Mosbacher took special pride in his wife and children, treating them with such respect, love and commitment that his two sons consider their father a best friend and important role model. Throughout their lives, his sons said, their father was always there for them, rooting them on.

"He kind of modeled for his sons an ability to be sensitive and caring," Joel said. "We just learned so much from the way he lived and the way he related to his family."

His son Mark added, "He was just an amazing father. He was a teacher and he really was my best friend."

In addition to his wife and sons, Mr. Mosbacher is survived by his father, Henry; two brothers, Bruce and Gerson; and a grandson.